SIM COMPLETE - 1997 - SIM 26

[umd]

We get to 100 wins for the first time in franchise history. I was worried we'd lose home-field to Dallas in the last week. That makes 3 straight playoff appearances to match the 3 from '86-'88 before I took over. I'm happy to say it took 8 seasons but we went from 62-100 to 103-59. Hopefully we make it deeper than last year when we got overwhelmed by the Furry Pigs. We're a lot healthy this year - that's for sure.

Ricky Rangel, Tony Marrero and Brad Hayes had unbelievable years under the radar. Valencia and Kayra have also hit their stride. Corfield even finally lived up to why I held onto him before he got hurt.

[Carlos]

Because in Denver we don't have much else to be proud of...

Ivan Olivo pitched like the Olivo of Virginia days.
Obviously, he is without the 40+ saves that come with playing on a good team, but make no mistake his numbers suggest this was a Top 3 season for the Puerto Rican closer.

With the exception of his 175 IP season as a starer, this was only the second time Olivo reached triple figures in the K department as a full-time reliever. It is also the second best K/9 (10.80) he's had in his 9-year career.

His 1.09 WHIP is only bested by the three-year period from 1991-1993 when he won a Pale Ale (1992) and made two of his three All-Star games.

His 202 ERA+ and 2.05 ERA is his third best in his career. And his 28.6 VORP is the second highest behind only his 1992 Pale Ale season.

Plus he found himself on the Top 20 (Now 14th) for a good portion of the season. At least we have a shut down closer. Now if only we can get more wins for him to save.

Frank Tufts keeps getting better with each passing year.
His OPS+ has gone up every year. He batted a career high .299 and hit a career high 13 home runs. Not bad for a guy who technically doesn't have a starting spot.

The young bullpen finished with the 4th best ERA in the DL.
They are making good strides.

The veteran (and only regular over 27) Ivan Olivo led the way with a 2.05 ERA. Mens struggled after returning from an oblique strain and finished with a 3.80 ERA. Alejandro Rodriguez had his first sub 4 season with a 3.53 ERA. And Curt Stewart had a solid sophomore season rocking a 3.36 ERA.

Tyler Gerard outpaced them all with a 3.13 ERA in 52 appearances, but tore his rotator cuff in August after also missing 3 weeks with a strained abdominal muscle.

Even more impressive is Jeremiah Gray and his comeback trail.
The former 5th overall pick was once the #4 prospect in the league. He completed a AAA POY season going 19-5, 2.52 ERA in 1990 and was promoted the following year.

He pitched mostly in relief his rookie year posting a 2.03 ERA. And in 1992 took over as a starter sporting a 2.63 through 11 games and 8 starts before suffering an injury that would sideline him for the rest of the season.

When he came back, he was not the same pitcher and by mid-season had collapsed while pitching before a diagnosis revealed he needed Tommy John Surgery. Suddenly a bright career appeared over. And when he returned in late 1994 incapable of controlling his pitches, he was demoted and subsequently released by mid-1995.

The Maine Guides gave him a chance at AAA but released him the following year. That's when Denver called again.

This time, Gray was going to start in A ball and see if he could return to form. He pitched as a starter and had a 8-2 record with a 2.98 ERA. Promoted to AA, he threw in 19 games as a reliever with a 1.31 ERA. Challenging him even further, he was promoted to AAA and in 15 games in relief had a 1.74 ERA.

Believing he had earned his right to see some September BLB action, Gray joined a team destined for another high draft pick. Though he only appeared in 7 games and threw 6.1 innings, he finished 1997 with not only a 1.11 WHIP and 2.84 ERA, but also his first save in three years.

He has already accepted a small $532,000 contract for next season and will be a part of the team's BLB bullpen. Perhaps there is a chance for the 28-year-old pitcher to make something of his career, and if not, if perhaps this was just a remarkable year from the bottom to the very top, then at least it was witnessed by fans in Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Tucson and finally, Denver.

Pedro Zamarida still holds the franchise HR high of 34.
Chad Sinclair put on a show hitting 3 home runs over the final week of the season, but still one home run short of tying the most beloved player in Denver history.

Sinclair had hit 22 home runs by mid-July, easily passing his career-high and was on pace to break the 40 HR mark easily. However, a very disappointing second half in which he batted below .230 and only had one month of 3+ home runs (September - 7) kept Sinclair out of the DL HR race and out of the franchise top spot. He still places himself second all-time in Denver and became only the fourth Denver player to ever hit 30 or more home runs in a single season.

If Victor Garcia is anything, it's consistent.
He won't hit .300, or even .280. That much has been proven by Garcia in his six seasons now for Denver. But the once seldom used infielder has become a mainstay of the franchise now playing in at least 128 games in each of the past four seasons.

For the third straight year, Garcia has finished with a 101 OPS+. While it's not impressive, it at least confirms he's average and on a team with many player performing below the average, Garcia's ability to play consistently while manning every infield position (and LF every once in a while) is a breath of fresh air.

He won't shock you with his bat, but he may surprise you with what he's been able to accomplish with little fan fare. Four-straight seasons of 10+ HR, At least 65 RBI in three of the last four, and taking over 54 bases via walk in each of the past three seasons. Garcia even holds a DWI Award at 2B (1994).

Chatfield "helps" at 1B.
It wasn't pretty - he batted .199 in 186 at-bats while in Denver. But, he also hit 14 home runs and drove in 58 runs while completing the only over .800 OPS season with the help of a .500 SLG.

Playing a position Denver had trouble finding help in all-season, his glove at 1B was also solid and provided the infield relief on tough throws.

In a sport where one swing can change a game, Chatfield did that much if nothing else.

Even with all that, Denver still sucks. But we did go 5-2 this past sim.

[funclown]

Half of Carolina got hurt. I think Balt takes them.

The was just crazy.

[Delandis]

I had injuries this season and have a key starter out for an unknown period. I've also had starters out in almost every playoff run except for the year I lost to Los Alamos (ironically). I'm not sure if you're taking this angle to make a loss easier to take or a win sweeter... but either way it's pretty hollow.

Dude. Minor league injuries don't count.

[umd]

Half of Carolina got hurt. I think Balt takes them.

Wow, just looked at that. That's Hartford-esque for the playoffs. Last men standing last season for us were Castor and JJG. Entering the playoffs like that is depressing as many of us know.

[funclown]

Wow, just looked at that. That's Hartford-esque for the playoffs. Last men standing last season for us were Castor and JJG. Entering the playoffs like that is depressing as many of us know.

As long as Sau is standing you'll be good!

[Z]

We didn't get it done. Just too many injuries this year.

[umd]

We didn't get it done. Just too many injuries this year.

Great season Z to even be there at the end.

[Z]

Thank you, sir.

[Jistic]

Yeah yeah great season blah blah blah. Can we just get the Virginia "Scorched Earth" postseason over with already?

[umd]

Yeah yeah great season blah blah blah. Can we just get the Virginia "Scorched Earth" postseason over with already?

We should just sim it in a day. We all know what's going to happen, especially with CAR & BAL getting decimated by injuries. Least Matt got some players back.

[Carlos]

Thank you, sir.

You have depth which is good. Tough thing about the injuries.

[Delandis]

Because in Denver we don't have much else to be proud of...

Ivan Olivo pitched like the Olivo of Virginia days.
Obviously, he is without the 40+ saves that come with playing on a good team, but make no mistake his numbers suggest this was a Top 3 season for the Puerto Rican closer.

With the exception of his 175 IP season as a starer, this was only the second time Olivo reached triple figures in the K department as a full-time reliever. It is also the second best K/9 (10.80) he's had in his 9-year career.

His 1.09 WHIP is only bested by the three-year period from 1991-1993 when he won a Pale Ale (1992) and made two of his three All-Star games.

His 202 ERA+ and 2.05 ERA is his third best in his career. And his 28.6 VORP is the second highest behind only his 1992 Pale Ale season.

Plus he found himself on the Top 20 (Now 14th) for a good portion of the season. At least we have a shut down closer. Now if only we can get more wins for him to save.

Frank Tufts keeps getting better with each passing year.
His OPS+ has gone up every year. He batted a career high .299 and hit a career high 13 home runs. Not bad for a guy who technically doesn't have a starting spot.

The young bullpen finished with the 4th best ERA in the DL.
They are making good strides.

The veteran (and only regular over 27) Ivan Olivo led the way with a 2.05 ERA. Mens struggled after returning from an oblique strain and finished with a 3.80 ERA. Alejandro Rodriguez had his first sub 4 season with a 3.53 ERA. And Curt Stewart had a solid sophomore season rocking a 3.36 ERA.

Tyler Gerard outpaced them all with a 3.13 ERA in 52 appearances, but tore his rotator cuff in August after also missing 3 weeks with a strained abdominal muscle.

Even more impressive is Jeremiah Gray and his comeback trail.
The former 5th overall pick was once the #4 prospect in the league. He completed a AAA POY season going 19-5, 2.52 ERA in 1990 and was promoted the following year.

He pitched mostly in relief his rookie year posting a 2.03 ERA. And in 1992 took over as a starter sporting a 2.63 through 11 games and 8 starts before suffering an injury that would sideline him for the rest of the season.

When he came back, he was not the same pitcher and by mid-season had collapsed while pitching before a diagnosis revealed he needed Tommy John Surgery. Suddenly a bright career appeared over. And when he returned in late 1994 incapable of controlling his pitches, he was demoted and subsequently released by mid-1995.

The Maine Guides gave him a chance at AAA but released him the following year. That's when Denver called again.

This time, Gray was going to start in A ball and see if he could return to form. He pitched as a starter and had a 8-2 record with a 2.98 ERA. Promoted to AA, he threw in 19 games as a reliever with a 1.31 ERA. Challenging him even further, he was promoted to AAA and in 15 games in relief had a 1.74 ERA.

Believing he had earned his right to see some September BLB action, Gray joined a team destined for another high draft pick. Though he only appeared in 7 games and threw 6.1 innings, he finished 1997 with not only a 1.11 WHIP and 2.84 ERA, but also his first save in three years.

He has already accepted a small $532,000 contract for next season and will be a part of the team's BLB bullpen. Perhaps there is a chance for the 28-year-old pitcher to make something of his career, and if not, if perhaps this was just a remarkable year from the bottom to the very top, then at least it was witnessed by fans in Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Tucson and finally, Denver.

Pedro Zamarida still holds the franchise HR high of 34.
Chad Sinclair put on a show hitting 3 home runs over the final week of the season, but still one home run short of tying the most beloved player in Denver history.

Sinclair had hit 22 home runs by mid-July, easily passing his career-high and was on pace to break the 40 HR mark easily. However, a very disappointing second half in which he batted below .230 and only had one month of 3+ home runs (September - 7) kept Sinclair out of the DL HR race and out of the franchise top spot. He still places himself second all-time in Denver and became only the fourth Denver player to ever hit 30 or more home runs in a single season.

If Victor Garcia is anything, it's consistent.
He won't hit .300, or even .280. That much has been proven by Garcia in his six seasons now for Denver. But the once seldom used infielder has become a mainstay of the franchise now playing in at least 128 games in each of the past four seasons.

For the third straight year, Garcia has finished with a 101 OPS+. While it's not impressive, it at least confirms he's average and on a team with many player performing below the average, Garcia's ability to play consistently while manning every infield position (and LF every once in a while) is a breath of fresh air.

He won't shock you with his bat, but he may surprise you with what he's been able to accomplish with little fan fare. Four-straight seasons of 10+ HR, At least 65 RBI in three of the last four, and taking over 54 bases via walk in each of the past three seasons. Garcia even holds a DWI Award at 2B (1994).

Chatfield "helps" at 1B.
It wasn't pretty - he batted .199 in 186 at-bats while in Denver. But, he also hit 14 home runs and drove in 58 runs while completing the only over .800 OPS season with the help of a .500 SLG.

Playing a position Denver had trouble finding help in all-season, his glove at 1B was also solid and provided the infield relief on tough throws.

In a sport where one swing can change a game, Chatfield did that much if nothing else.

Even with all that, Denver still sucks. But we did go 5-2 this past sim.

What a post.

It's almost as if you had time to write an entire book.

[Matt]

We should just sim it in a day. We all know what's going to happen, especially with CAR & BAL getting decimated by injuries. Least Matt got some players back.

If back you mean our cleanup hitter got a CEI then ya we're back!

But hey...everyone gets injuries...no?

[umd]

If back you mean our cleanup hitter got a CEI then ya we're back!

But hey...everyone gets injuries...no?

Well, other than that CEI.

We've gotten off relatively easy compared to the trainwreck every season has been. Although losing our starting CF (who was having a career year and was our best defending OF) as well as our defensive specialist utility infielder is not exactly ideal.

Welcome to the playoff roster Ivan and Efrain Garcia!

It's no CEI or what happened to Carolina. Though, if anyone understands playoff injuries it would be me too.

Virginia is just going to plow through everyone anyway like every year.

If Jim had some more bats I think he has the staff with Dimmick throwing 3 games out of 7 to maybe get it done and make it interesting for the DL. We'll be happy to get past Gyro after what they did to us last season.